| | | | | | Introducing fun, new, engaging resources to help us take care of the Sierra Nevada we love so much! | | | | | | Last month on Earth Day Week, the Sierra Nevada Alliance, together with Friends of the Inyo and dozens of other environmental organizations serving the Sierra Nevada on both sides of the California/Nevada state line to the east, and over the Sierra crest to the west, launched a recreational stewardship and environmental education campaign called Take Care Sierra, using the simple yet meaningful and engaging slogan, "Together, we can take care of the Sierra Nevada." The goal of the campaign (based on the already successful Take Care Tahoe campaign, to keep from reinventing the wheel) is to increase awareness of the Sierra Nevada as a multifaceted recreation destination full of natural resources that must be collectively cared for, especially in light of the fact that our region hosts more than 50 million people who come to recreate here each year. Yes, 50 million! And more people loving the Sierra means more litter, traffic, illegal campfires, and crowds harming forest health, water clarity, and public safety. With input from dozens of organizations and agencies, targeted #TakeCareSierra messages address aquatic invasive species, living with bears, microplastics, fire and wildfire preparedness, cigarette butts, litter, dog poop, trails, river use, and broken sleds. On the TakeCareSierra.org website, visitors will also find information about the Sierra, including maps, history, geology, flora and fauna, animals, a visitor center, a conservation directory, and volunteer and event listings. From Shasta, Tahoe, Mammoth, Sequoia, and all places in between, EVERYONE is encouraged to help Take Care of this majestic region we call the Sierra Nevada. Delightful characters like those shown above (click on either image or on this link to see the full range of informational graphics available) encourage everyone, adults and kids alike, to be good stewards of the Sierra Nevada. Now, before the summer season starts, is the ideal time to get ready to be part of the solution. Will you step up and help to collectively care for this precious region that has cared for you? We ask everyone to visit the website and help us spread the word, especially among first-time visitors to the Sierra Nevada. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Also in this issue of The Juniper: -
See the impact of your giving in response to our First Quarter Appeal for 2023, which went out just a month and a half ago in March; -
Read a recap of the Owens Lake Bird Festival; -
Find out about our upcoming Dark Desert Skies Campout later this month and sign up; -
Learn how you can still help with snow surveys; -
See a gallery of photos of all the community events Friends of the Inyo has been participating in recently; -
Read the lastest issues of the Keep Long Valley Green Coalition and Bodie Hills Conservation Partnership's Newsletters; -
Check out our swag; -
And more! Remember: When scrolling through our newsletter, you might come across a message at the bottom that says [Message clipped] and/or the hyperlink "View Entire Message." Be sure to click on the link to keep reading, as more news will be displayed. This is done to prevent bandwidth issues in e-mail delivery. Thank you. | | | | Happy reading—and if you like what you read, happy sharing! Sincerely, Louis (Lou) Medina
Communications and Philanthropy Director
Louis@friendsoftheinyo.org | | | | Response to Our 2023 First Quarter Appeal Through our First Quarter Appeal in late March, we asked for your financial support for our Lone Pine Office, which Friends of the Inyo opened just last August as our first ever satellite location in our 37-year history. Well, give yourselves a hand, because you came through in a BIG way! Since our appeal went out, we have received close to $60,000 from our generous supporters, not counting recurring donations from donors who give to us monthly! That represents HALF of the yearly cost of running the Lone Pine Office, which we strategically chose so that a) we could be closer to our Southern Inyo Tribal, agency, nonprofit and community partners, and b) better oversee our work to protect Conglomerate Mesa and actively engage in the planning for renewable energy development on desert lands. Your generous giving to support our efforts in Southern Inyo County makes you true partners in our mission: To Protect and Care for the Public Lands of the Eastern Sierra. Thank you! We are most grateful, and are truly humbled by your ongoing trust and support. | | | | | | | | 2023 Owens Lake Bird Festival, April 21-23 Thank you to all the attendees to Friends of the Inyo's 2023 Owens Lake Bird Festival in Lone Pine on Earth Day Weekend! We hosted 14 tours this year and had more than 80 enrolled participants, many of whom attended more than one tour. A big thank you to our trip leaders, sponsors (Metabolic Studio, the County of Inyo, and AltaOne Federal Credit Union), silent auction donors, those who donated goods and services, our host venue, the Museum of Western Film History, and our popular dinner caterer, Coachwhip Café. FOI staff and board members enjoyed seeing long-time attendees and meeting first-timers. While we don't really look at the Owens Lake Bird Festival as a fundraiser for Friends of the Inyo, but rather as an opportunity to connect with the community, and especially as a way to stimulate the local economy of Lone Pine, we are still very grateful for the more than $16,000 we received through sponsorships, ticket, meal and drink sales, donations, and the sale of FOI swag and silent auction items. Thank you! We can’t wait to host the Bird Festival again next year! | |  | FOI former board member Mike Prather, who has been involved with the OLBF since its launch in 2015, addresses Bird Festivalgoers at Lone Pine's Museum of Western Film History at end of a day of birding on Earth Day. | | | | | |  | On this Friday-Sunday weekend event, you will see films on Friday night, May 19, in Lone Pine, then have a chance to explore Conglomerate Mesa before surveying the nighttime skies and basking under the moon and stars with friends and kindred spirits on Saturday, May 20, and continue exploring the desert at Centennial Flat on Sunday, May 21. The outing will be led by Friends of the Inyo's Staff. This event is FREE, but space is limited. | | | | | | EXTRA TREAT THIS FRIDAY, MAY 12: At 9:15 a.m., tune in to KMMT FM's Arts, Culture & Entertainment (ACE) show (106.5 MAMMOTH LAKES / 104.9 BISHOP / 105.5 BIG PINE & SOUTH / 107.7 JUNE LAKE & NORTH) to listen to Friends of the Inyo's Desert Lands Organizer Jaime Lopez Wolters (in the photo with his dog, Skybear) talk with host John DeMaria about our upcoming Dark Desert Skies outing and other things Friends of the Inyo! You can also listen to the show live online by clicking here or on the KMMT logo below. Happy listenting! Happy sharing! | | | | | | | | | | Free Screening and Discussion of
"Without Water," Saturday, May 27 at Stellar Brew! | | | | The award-winning documentary short film, "Without Water," by Metabolic Studio and featuring local Water Defenders, will be showing Saturday, May 27, at 6pm at Stellar Brew in Mammoth Lakes. Afterwards, there will be storytelling, community brainstorming, and conversation. Come join us: Let's talk about what we can do to Keep Long Valley Green! | | | | | |  | Snow may slowly be melting, but sunny spring days are bringing even more folks out to popular recreation spots throughout Mono County. As long as there is still snow on the ground, we will still need your help assessing recreation on public lands! Help us and our friends at Winter Wildlands Alliance gather data on spring visitor use via the citizen science app RIMS, which you can find here or by using the button below. Winter Wildlands Alliance has developed a list of spots we most need data on: -Sherwins propane tanks/staging parking lot -End of Old Mammoth Road Sherwins access -Minaret Vista -Obsidian Dome -Rock Creek -Shady Rest Get out there in whatever way you like and give back to our outdoor community and environment by filling out a quick visitor use assessment. It is easy to do in the parking lot, no service required, and helps us understand how many people are using the trailheads, what they are doing, and if there are any parking issues. If you do notice a conflict such as a parking or OSV violation, you may fill out the violations and conflicts assessment anonymously by clicking the button towards the bottom of the screen just above the "conflict" section. Signs and facilities assessments can be used if you notice something that could use more upkeep or a lack of signage. Trail assessments are useful if there is a lot of trash or dog poop left on the ground. Thank you in advance, Citizen Scientist! | | | | | | | | | | | | Indeed, Community is better with Friends...of the Inyo! We are pleased to share some photos and narrative of various community events we participated in or attended recently, beginning Earth Day Week through early May. April 20 - Earth Day Educational Fair at Round Valley Elementary School. Students toured different learning stations, interacting with community organizations and learning fun tidbits about anything Earth-related. This year's community partners included Wildcare Eastern Sierra, CA Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Bureau of Land Management, Bishop Climbing Rangers, The Bishop Paiute-Shoshone COSA (Conservation Open Space Area), and, of course, Friends of the Inyo. Community partners joined Round Valley teachers, who also hosted a station of their own. The kids got to pet rehabilitated wild animals, learn about fire ecology, try their hand at climbing, make their own “fossils,” play with water and observe erosion in action, pet the pelts of local fauna, and interact with a pollution-focused enviroscope (basically a model of our ecosystem to help them learn how humans pollute our environment directly, and the trickle-down effect our actions have - pictured above), all while learning about the importance of Earth Day and gaining an appreciation for our home planet: its diversity, beauty, wilderness, resources, and vulnerability. _________________________ April 22 - Bishop Paiute Tribe's Earth Day, Community Cleanup, and Spring Market at the Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Cultural Center.
FOI tabled side-by-side with the Keep Long Valley Green Coalition.
(We also had a table at the Earth Day Sierra and Community Art Day at Bishop City Park.) | |  | _________________________ April 29 - Lone Pine Paiute Shoshone Tribe's 10th Annual Tribal Earth Day Celebration.
(On April 23, the Sunday before, FOI was also present at the Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley's Big Earth Day Celebration.) | |  | _________________________ April 29 - Manzanar Pilgrimage at Manzanar National Historic Site. We attended this year's event, which was the first to be held in public since the COVID-19 pandemic. | |  | _________________________ May 6 - Biking Towards Resilient Futures in the Eastern Sierra - Long Valley Bike Tour with the Keep Long Valley Green Coalition, Friends of the Inyo, a Resilient Mountain Futures research student from the University of Oslo, and others. | |  | | | | | | | | | | | There are thousands of “winged” reasons to #KeepLongValleyGreen: The permanent avian residents of the lush meadows and Crowley Lake, as well as the many migrating visitors who grace the natural landscape with their presence and song! Read all about it and enjoy some breathtaking photography and thoroughly informative descriptions of our fine feathered friends in the April issue of “Every last Drop.” Happy reading - and if you like what you read...Happy sharing! | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | Have you subscribed yet? The second edition of the resurrected quarterly Bodie Hills Conservation Partnership E-Newsletter (following a long hiatus) was published last month! Read it here to keep up with all things Bodie Hills. You can also sign up to receive it in your e-mail inbox FREE using the button below. In between newsletters, keep up with Bodie Hills news on social media: The Bodie Hills Conservation Partnership (BHCP) has launched an Instagram, @bodiehills, this year to augment its social media following on Facebook and Twitter. | | | | | | | | | |  | Want to support Friends of the Inyo? Consider making a donation online today!
Or help us Grow Our Circle of Friends...of the Inyo! by purchasing a membership for a friend or loved one. It makes a great gift for Mother's Day, Father's Day or Graduation! Thank you for your generous support. | | | | | | | |  | Buy Our Swag! Make a Fashion Statement and Support Our Cause! Want to look like a million bucks while you help further Friends of the Inyo's mission: To Protect and Care for the Public Lands of the Eastern Sierra? Then consider buying one of our swag items! You will be helping to call attention to our work while furthering important conservation goals with your purchase. Our T-shirts, hats and mugs make great gifts for Mother's Day, Father's Day, graduations, birthdays, and other special occasions. | | | | | | Friends of the Inyo appreciates the following organizations and local businesses for their generous monetary sponsorship of our programs: | | | | | | | | Inyo Mono Alpine County
Cattlemen’s Association | |  | | | | | | | Remember to update the address to our new location: Friends of the Inyo
621 W. Line St., Suite 201
Bishop, CA 93514 FriendsoftheInyo.org | | | | Like and follow us on social media: | | | | | | |
